I Could Have Been Your Adam
by RikiTiki
Summary: Set in the world of Into Darkness the crew of the Enterprise encounters a dangerous enemy and has the chance to rectify an injustice thousands of years old. With thanks to Karategirl666 for the itnspiration. If you like this story check out her novella An Augmented Life.


I Could Have Been Your Adam

Prologue

-0-

It was done. His life as John Harrison was drawing to a close. Now all that was left was to wait. Briefly he wondered what form the death Star Fleet would send after him would take. It didn't matter. He had set in motion events which would lead to that war with the Klingon Empire the Admiralty so feared. He smiled darkly, they were right to fear it; all-out war with the Klingons would topple the Federation. That he would not live to see it did not bother him, his hand would be felt in their fall whether they realized it or not.

He rested his back against the rough cold wall that made up the cave in which he had taken refuge. The barren landscape beyond the cave's mouth was bleak. He adjusted the temperature at which his suit kept his body. Cold was not something that usually bothered him but just now he felt a cold so penetrating that he shivered. The warmth did little good; the chill ran deeper than the air of the frozen land of Kronos.

Briefly he considered calling Rena, but he saw no reason to drag her into his melancholic musings. They had said their good byes. A loneliness so profound it defied description came over him. He closed his eyes and saw the others, their faces, animated in the many expressions of life as they passed through his mind. He made himself look at them, to acknowledge that they were forever stilled because of his failure. Warm wetness slid down his cheeks, he pulled up his scarf to keep his tears from freezing. He could not change what had happened but he would give the last drop of blood flowing through his veins to avenge their fate.

-0-

1

"Gilli, hold up!"

Gillian Collins slowed her pace so that Lieutenant Uhura could catch up. She swore under her breath. She had allowed the tempest of emotion swirling around inside her to cause a lapse in discipline. She breathed deeply then slowed her pace and altered her gait in order to move more like the others rushing around her.

Uhura fell into step at her side.

"Thanks again Nyota."

"I know how much you want justice."

For a moment Gillian's face was nearly as red as her hair. Two days ago a man called John Harrison, in a seemingly random senseless act of terrorism had opened fire on a federation council meeting. Among the dead was her father Herbert Collins. She felt her body shake with grief and rage. She hoped that somehow she could lessen the pain she felt by inflicting it upon Harrison.

"The sooner we get underway the better," Gillian said absently, her mind far from the starship she was boarding. Since the attack she had been barely able to focus on the world around her. At all times her mind drifted back to that council room and to what her presence there might have meant for the survival of her father. Always in the back of her mind was a ceaseless pull to consider the what-if. What if she had been there? The alternate timelines that could now ever be now be realities played like a movie made to torture her inside her head, distracting her and making her more reckless.

Even through the haze of her emotions Gillian was astonished by her new billet. The USS Enterprise was a magnificent ship. She smiled to herself in grim satisfaction. If any ship in the fleet could carry them successfully through the mission that lay ahead it was this one.

"Speaking of lifting off where the hell is Kirk?"

Uhura sounded annoyed. Without thinking Gillian scanned the crowd, spotted Kirk and pointed him out to her friend. Uhura squinted.

"I don't see him."

Again!

Gillian groaned internally, she knew that she had to be more careful. Her father was no longer around to protect her. Kirk was so far off that she should not have been able to identify him. Kirk was standing in the weapons bay which was over a thousand feet off. Gillian could see that he and a man she recognized as Engineering Officer Scott were standing beside 68, no 72 torpedoes waiting to be loaded. Scott was gesticulating wildly one moment pounding on a clipboard he gripped with unnecessary force the next waiving a fist at his Captain.

_What kind of a ship does Kirk run that an engineering officer feels free to behave in that manner to a superior?_

As they drew closer she could make out the angry flush suffusing Kirk's face as he poked a finger hard into Scott's chest. A short blonde stood next to him and she seemed to be attempting to mediate between Kirk and Scott. She was failing.

"Nyota, is Kirk in control of this ship?"

"Huh?"

"Officer Scott seems," she trailed off looking for the correct words, "comfortable with insubordination."

"Kirk isn't big on protocol, but if you want someone that will go balls-to-the-wall to see Harrison's head returned to Star Fleet absent his body, Kirk is your man."

"That is a comforting thought," Gillian said as Scott threw down the clip board and stormed off.

Gillian looked closer, she recognized the blonde who had bent to pick up the clipboard. Carol Marcus, she was the daughter of Admiral Marcus. Marcus and Gillian's father had been lifelong friends. Gillian and Carol had played together as children and though they had never been close Gillian remembered liking her. Gillian hadn't even known that Carol had joined Star Fleet.

Gillian and Uhura arrived just in time to hear Kirk addressing Carol.

"Miss Wallace as Captain of this vessel I officially promote you to Chief Weapons Specialist with all the accommodating alterations in rank and pay, see the purser before you report for duty. I hope you are up to it."

"Rest assured Captain, I am."

"Excellent," he gestured to some crew members in red shirts, "hey get these loaded into the hold and properly secured."

"Aye Captain," they said and moved quickly to obey.

Carol had not noticed Gillian as she stood silently with Uhura waiting for Kirk to acknowledge them. Gillian was confused. She had no idea why Carol was going by the name Wallace. Maybe she had gotten married and Gillian's father had forgotten to mention it to her. Carol saluted and ran after the red shirts who were making off with the torpedoes. Gillian and Uhura continued to stand patiently while Kirk watched Carol jog off. His eyes focused on her retreating posterior with appreciation.

Uhura coughed loudly and Kirk whirled to face them.

"Lieutenant Uhura and Commander Collins reporting for duty sir," Uhura said.

"Uhura, how's your Klingon?"

A harsh guttural croaking sound erupted from Uhura's throat.

"I have no idea what you just said."

"That's why I'm on this ship Captain."

"Good point, nice to have you back under me Nyota," Kirk grinned a toothy wolfish grin.

"I will make sure to pass your happiness along to Commander Spock."

Kirk rolled his eyes and groaned, "You are no fun Uhura, please report to the bridge after you have settled yourself in your cabin."

"Aye Captain."

"Dismissed."

Uhura shot a quick look at Gillian.

"Good luck," and with that she turned, presumably to search for her quarters.

"Commander Gillian Collins Chief Tactical Adviser reporting for duty Captain," Gillian saluted, and presented Kirk with her personnel file.

"Commander Collins, how old are you?"

"Twenty one, sir."

"You look younger."

Gillian couldn't think of an appropriate response to that comment so she stood silently as he reviewed her file.

"How many damned prodigies do I have to put up with on one ship? Let's see here," Kirk scanned her file," you graduated Star Fleet Academy with a degree in Applied Multi-Dimensional Game Theory and Logistics at the age of seventeen, then you went back for graduate studies in N Dimensional Physics and Sociology."

Again the best course of action seemed to be to remain silent.

"You and Chekov can have calculus parties while Spock and Scotty play chess."

"Sir, didn't you dismiss Officer Scott?"

"Damn, party is cancelled," Kirk smirked, "I understand that you requested a transfer to the Enterprise specifically for this mission."

"Yes sir."

"Who did Harrison take from you?"

It was the first entirely sincere thing she had heard come out of Kirk's mouth. She wished he had been flippant, but her commanding officer had asked her a direct question. Fighting back the flood of tears that always threatened to break forth at the thought of her father she replied.

"My father Colonel Herbert Collins."

Kirk nodded solemnly, "I knew him, he was a good man, and a great loss."

He leaned forward and put a hand on her shoulder. Gillian was struck by how blue his eyes were and how steady his gaze.

"We will find Harrison Commander, and we will make him pay."

Kirk's voice was steady, but she could see the reflection of her own rage in his eyes, it was a comfort.

"Aye sir."

Instantly Kirk resumed his manner of relaxed arrogance.

"You will be reporting to Commander Spock."

"Captain?"

"Yes Commander?"

"Might I ask about the reason for Officer Scott's departure from this mission?"

Kirk studied her for a moment.

"Philosophical differences."

"Relating to the seventy two torpedoes that are being stored right now?"

Kirk smiled in a way that made him look younger and slightly wicked. Gillian almost lamented that she was not susceptible to such charm. The young Captain was presumably attractive, and it was undeniable that he was passionate, and dedicated. Those were two qualities that, when focused in a leader bound a crew into a solid unit. Gillian now understood how the ship functioned. This young captain was wholly dedicated to them, and they returned his loyalty without the need for strict shipside discipline. Gillian decided that she liked him, but she refused to be disarmed by him.

Gillian stared stonily back at Kirk and held her silence.

"Wow between you and Uhura I am starting to think that I have lost my touch. Yes Commander Collins, Officer Scott objected to the storage of those torpedoes. I gave him three direct orders, which were to store the torpedoes, use them when commanded and shut the hell up. He disobeyed all three and I dismissed him from his post on my ship. You may have heard that I run a lax ship. I will admit to being none too fond of the bonds of regulation but when I give an order I expect prompt, cheerful obedience."

"Understood Captain. I merely wanted to inquire about inspecting the torpedoes after I report to Commander Spock?"

"Why?"

"As Chief Tactical Advisor I like to familiarize myself with the weapon systems of the ship."

"If Spock doesn't need you for anything, I don't see what harm it can do."

"Thank you Captain."

Gillian stood at attention. Kirk looked confused for a moment. He would not insist on formality, but Gillian saw the wolfish grin as he looked at her and decided this was as good a time as any to establish professional boundaries. After a few moments Kirk cottoned on, and rolled his eyes with a groan.

"Dismissed Commander Collins."

Gillian saluted then turned like Uhura and went to find her cabin. She wound her way through the ship, cataloguing important locations in her mind as she went. A photographic memory, along with her superb eyesight, and her extraordinary speed and strength were all part of her genetic heritage. Her father had always cautioned her to reign herself in, the discipline needed to seem like the others around her was now almost natural. She had always relished the times when she was alone or with her father and could relax this discipline and be entirely herself.

Now the one person in the world she could be herself around was gone. Not gone, she thought as the world flashed red around her, taken. The effort of controlling her rage was draining. She was relieved when she found her assigned cabin. After she keyed the door of her cabin to her hand and voice she dropped her baggage on the floor. She took a moment to sit on the edge of the bed and try to remember how to breathe.

Collins had adopted her when she was only a few hours old; she had never known another parent. Collins was a lifelong bachelor. Gillian wondered if she had missed the input of a mother, she didn't think so. In her memory her childhood was filled with equal parts hard work and affection. Her father had been both stern and doting. He was the reason that she had joined Star Fleet.

Every night after work her father would come home and they would sit over dinner and he would tell her about Star Fleet, the adventures, the discoveries, he made it sound like the most wonderful place in the world. Since joining Gillian had found his description to be more or less accurate. Yet there was still the constant frustration of perpetually holding back in everything that she did.

Gillian wiped her eyes she would survive her father's death by killing the one that took him from her. The thought steadied her enough to pull her belongings from her bag and begin to store her gear. As she was refolding a uniform that had gotten mussed the ships com came to life.

"Attention all hands," Kirk's voice filled the room; Gillian stopped folding to listen, "before we lift I want to thank every crew member aboard. I know that everyone knows why we are here; this mission will take us to the edge of Klingon space. When we arrive I am going to fire a torpedo onto the Klingon owned world Kronos. This is where the coward John Harrison has decided to hide. He thinks he's safe, he thinks he has run beyond our reach. He hasn't. Anyone who is not comfortable with this mission has fifteen minutes to vacate the ship. Understand I want only a volunteer crew, if you are not completely alright with this mission you can leave. It will not endanger your position on this ship for future missions. For those of you that are staying lets vaporize the bastard."

An all-volunteer crew, her opinion of the Captain grew with every passing moment. It was will a swelling sense of pride to be part of the crew of The Enterprise that she allowed the fifteen minutes to lapse, and then as they lifted she made her way to the bridge.

After gaining permission to come onto the bridge Gillian presented herself to Commander Spock. He welcomed her aboard. Gillian liked Vulcans. They tended to be predictable, their actions guided by a logic she could anticipate. Spock had a reputation for great intellect, and fierce loyalty to his Captain and crew. Gillian had never known Nyota to be so happy as since she had started seeing Spock. He gave permission for her to inspect the new torpedoes without hesitation.

The Enterprise was well on its way when she stepped into the ship's armory.

"Hey Carol," she said.

The young woman was bent intently over a torpedo; her face was screwed up in concentration. She jumped when she heard Gillian's voice.

"Gilli? What the hell are you doing here?"

"Harrison put eight fifty caliber bullets through my father's chest. What are you doing here Commander Wallace?"

Carol looked guilty.

"I didn't want my father to know that I had maneuvered to get this mission."

"Why not?"

Carol hesitated.

"How much do you know about weapon systems?"

"It's not a specialty of mine but I know a fair bit about them."

"Look at these."

Carol stepped aside so that Gillian could get a look at the exposed circuitry. Gillian inspected the various connections with interest. Something bothered her. Gillian knelt and pressed her ear to the cold shell. There was a strange sound coming from inside. It was a faint rhythmic pulsing, too faint to her to get a decent fix on.

"Do you have a stethoscope?"

"No, why?"

"I can hear something."

"What?"

"I don't know, come here, and put your ear right here."

Carol moved with excited rapidity, she dropped to one knee and pressed her ear to the plastic.

"Gillian I don't hear anything."

"Who is the ship's doctor?"

"Leonard McCoy."

Gillian activated her communicator.

"Weapons Bay to Medical."

A few moments passed before she heard the rough slightly beleaguered voice of the doctor.

"McCoy here."

"This is Commander Gillian Collins the new Chief Tactical Advisor. Would you happen to have a stethoscope you could lend me?"

"Seriously?"

"Yes doctor, seriously."

"Um, yeah."

"Could you please send a tech down to the Weapons Bay with one?"

"Is this a prank?"

Gillian sighed heavily.

"No sir, no prank I just need a stethoscope."

"Alright Commander I will have a tech down there to you as soon as possible."

"Thank you doctor."

Gillian and Carol waited in silence. Gillian replayed the sound in her mind trying to figure out what she had heard while Carol kept trying to hear it at all. Gillian knew that Carol wouldn't hear it; the sound was so faint that she was struggling. The tech arrived and handed Gillian a stethoscope. Gillian closed her eyes to better focus on the sound. The sound roared to life in her ears, two pulses followed by a long pause, and then two more pulses.

"Do you still hear it?" Carol asked.

"Yes, it sounds like a damn heartbeat."

Gillian passed the stethoscope to Carol. After a few moments Carol sat back.

"I definitely hear something. This is a prototype weapon and the schematic of it is so classified that my rank can't put a dent in the layers of protection and encryption around those plans. So it is impossible for me to know if anything is unusual about these damn things."

"What so fascinates you about these weapons?"

"I am not sure. My father has been obsessed with the idea that war with the Klingon Empire is inevitable. He has been pouring a huge amount of his budget into weapon development."

"I don't see what is so odd about that. He's a Star Fleet Admiral; thinking about the future of the Federation is his job."

"His head project manager was John Harrison."

"Oh."

"That is why I wanted to be on this mission, this is supposed to be a test run for the new weapons Harrison developed."

"I think now that Scott was right to refuse these weapons."

"Bridge to Weapons Bay, Commander Collins please report to your station."

The voice she recognized as Spock's.

Gillian touched her badge.

"Aye sir, right away."

"Gilli," Carol said gripping her wrist, "please don't tell them who I am."

"I won't Carol," Gillian promised, "keep working on this, I think it's important."

"Aye Commander. Thank you."

Five minutes later the door to the bridge slid open.

"Permission to enter the bridge?"

"Permission granted," said Kirk.

"Thank you sir."

"Commander have you completed your inspection of the new torpedoes?" Asked Spock.

"No Sir, I have gathered some preliminary data that is of interest, but I lack sufficient information to draw conclusions, or even comfortably speculate about the nature of these weapons."

Spock nodded appreciatively. Gillian ha phrased her report specifically for his ears. While "I need more time," would have been sufficient for Kirk she knew that the First Officer would require a more detailed description of, what ultimately boiled down to that answer.

"Very good Commander, if time permits I would like you to continue your investigations."

"Aye Sir," Gillian replied thinking that it was unlikely that there would be time as they were planning on firing theses torpedoes at Harrison n a matter of hours. Gillian began to move to her station when Kirk addressed her.

"Commander shortly we will come out of warp at the edge of Klingon space. As soon as we come to a stop we will hail John Harrison and as soon as we can get a fix on his location Chekov will beam him aboard."

"Sir you do not intend to fire on Harrison?"

"No Commander I intend to apprehend Harrison and see to it that he stands trial for his crimes."

Gillian heard, but could not believe what the Captain had said. She could think of nothing to say.

"Commander is there a problem?"

"Captain, we are to apprehend Harrison?"

"Yes Commander."

"I apologize, have there been new orders from Star Fleet Command?"

"No Commander, there have been no new orders."

Gillian raged internally. She had not signed up to apprehend Harrison; she was here to kill him. Her hands clenched into fists at her side as in her mind they grabbed John Harrison by the hair. She relished in the imagined sensation of slamming his head into the rocks of Kronos.

"Permission to ask why we have changed the aim of our mission sir."

If it had not been for the long habit of mastering her every impulse Gillian might have struck the captain.

"I have reassessed the risk involved in firing into enemy territory. Nyota has informed me that there is Klingon chatter over the waves. As much as I desire pure vengeance I will not lose this ship in an attempt to achieve it."

Gillian glared back at him, unable to respond.

"You and I are not the only people who lost loved ones that day; if we bring him back home to stand trial the others can have their justice too."

With effort Gillian unclenched her fists; if Harrison were brought aboard there would be opportunities.

"What are my orders Captain?"

"You will advise the Bridge in the event of a Klingon encounter."

"Yes Captain."

Despite her seething resentment she felt an inexplicable sense of relief that they would not be using the torpedoes against Harrison. With any luck they would not have to use them at all. She had already studied the surrounding space, the directions from which Klingons might approach the ship, and run a statistical analysis on the probability of Klingon attack. The risk was high, but to her mind, acceptable.

Gillian moved to her station. She pulled up the video of Harrison's attack. She had watched it eight hundred forty seven times. She had committed every second of the attack to memory after the first viewing, but felt compelled to watch it again and again. Maybe the four hundred forty eighth time would convince her that it was real.

Three minutes eighteen seconds into the video a jolt shot through the Enterprise, slamming her head into the display hard enough to crack the glass. As she pushed herself back Gillian felt her stomach turn as the gravity failed and the recoil from hitting her head sent her spinning weightlessly across the bridge. She tucked herself into a ball which sent her into a spin. The wall opposite her station became a growing concern as she hurtled toward it at a steadily increasing speed.

Gillian came out of her crouch stretching full length as her feet met the wall. She allowed her knees to buckle absorbing the impact and delaying the moment where her momentum would push her off the wall again. At the same time she reached down and took hold of the edge of a bank of monitors. This left Gillian with her feet stretched out floating in air as she clung to smooth metal.

The scene around her came into focus. Bodies were flying wildly every which way, the sounds of stomachs being emptied, and above the din Kirk swearing.

"Bridge to Engineering! Damn it Chekov answer me!"

"Chekov here," his voice laced heavily with the accent of his native People's Republic of Russia, "there has been a malfunction in the gravity generator sir. I am working to correct."

"Work faster before the entire bridge spills their lunch!"

"Aye sir, gravity should be coming back on line in three," Gillian tried to brace herself for impact," two, one, gravity engaged!"

Gillian dropped, landing hard on her feet. Others splayed over displays or crashed into each other. She heard the crunch of breaking bones more than once.

"Bones!" Called Kirk pulling himself back into the Captain's chair.

"Yeah?"

Gillian heard the terse voice of McCoy as he answered.

"Hey we got injured people on the bridge."

"Do you now? Well I got injured people in every sector so send'em on down."

Kirk tried to make a reply but was cut off by another gut wrenching shudder that ran through the ship, throwing everyone except Gillian back to the ground. Gillian had heard the first faint rumblings of what was to come and had prepared herself.

"Chekov!" Kirk yelled

"Captain," Chekov sounded worried, "I am sorry we are losing power, I may have to bring us out of warp early."

"Why are we losing power?"

"Captain I don't know."

Impatiently Kirk swore.

"Figure it out, we can't afford any delay."

"Working on it Captain."

Everyone was ready when the next shudder came. Fortunately no other systems seemed to have failed this time.

"Alright let's attempt to restore order on the Bridge."

"Commander Collins please take over for Wilson."

"Aye Captain," Gillian slid into a terminal near Uhura, Officer Wilson had been one of the ones injured when gravity had been restored. He had been responsible for scanning space for any approaching objects. Gillian sat down to a perfectly blank screen. That was incorrect, the only reason for the screen to be blank was if the fool who sat this chair before her hadn't updated his charts for the sector of space they would be traveling through. Or-

Her thoughts were interrupted by Kirk calling angrily.

"Medical Bay report."

There was no response.

"Medical Bay! Bones answer me."

Still no response.

"Engineering!"

No response.

"Permission to enter the Bridge," A flushed engineering tech gasped.

"Get in here you fool."

"Captain, we have to cut warp right now, our systems are failing, com is down, transport is down and the Enterprise is breaking apart!"

"Sulu now!" Kirk shouted.

"Aye sir," Sulu answered as he began to bring them out of warp.

Gillian looked at the pilot, and then at the Captain, she could see Kirk's frustration as Sulu worked to bring them slowly out of warp. She understood what the Captain had clearly not considered. If systems were failing at random all over the ship and they came out of warp too quickly and if the inertial dampeners went off line they would all end up like bugs on a windshield as the force of the change in inertia disemboweled them.

"Sir," Gillian called, "we're flying blind right now."

"It's alright, the destination is preprogrammed, we'll get to where we need to go and back."

"Not if Klingon Warbirds spot us sir. We literally won't see them coming."

Kirk looked like he was fighting an internal battle, and had still not responded when the com came back on.

"Captain."

"Yes Chekov? Report."

"Intercom is back on line sir; warp core is officially offline-"

"Chekov can you work on our eyes right now, Commander Collins tells me we can't see anything coming."

"I can put short range beacons in orbit around the ship sir, best I can do at the moment."

"Do it."

"Aye sir."

"Is there any way to tell how far off of our arrival point we are?"

"We should be only a few hours away sir," said Sulu.

"Good change of plans. Commander Spock."

"Aye Captain?"

"Work with Chekov, find a way to use one of the short range beacons to scan Kronos and locate Harrison."

"Yes sir, but even if we find him, transport is still offline we can't beam him to the Enterprise."

"I know that Spock. Set a team to work stripping all insignia from a transport shuttle. You, me, Uhura, and Commander Collins are going to dress like smugglers, land on the planet and drag Harrison aboard the old fashioned way."

"Yes sir Captain."

Spock left the bridge heading for engineering.

"Captain?"

"Yes Commander?"

"Why am I coming along with the away team?"

"I read your personnel file, two black belts and thirty awards and accommodations for marksmanship. You also have a demonstrated willingness to follow orders, so when I tell you that Harrison is to be taken alive and that it is a direct order I know I don't have to worry that you will allow your personal feelings to contradict my orders, right?"

"Aye Captain."

-0-

"Who ordered this strike on Klingon soil?"

"I am under the command of James T. Kirk Captain of the Enterprise."

The voice was that of a young man. Harrison stilled himself the boy had spoken of torpedoes aimed at him. It couldn't be what his heart hoped for. They were dead, lost, detonated. Surely Marcus was not stupid enough to allow any of them to live. Marcus had to know that if even one of his people lived that he Khan would tear apart space and time to rescue them.

"And, Mister Sulu, under whose orders does your Captain act?"

"Why does it matter Harrison, will you surrender or do we have to drag you back to the Federation by force?"

"That I have not been beamed aboard already tells me that you are unable to accomplish the task. This means that you will have to send an away team after me. If you want any of them to live answer the question."

There was a pause while the acting Captain debated whether or not to answer. In those moments Harrison felt his heart beat faster. What had knocked out their transport system? Hope unwanted and unbidden continued to build in Harrison. If the torpedoes had not been detonated, then there was a chance that they still lived. Marcus could have cut their life support, but he might not have. While there was a chance that they lived he would do anything to save them.

"This mission is under the command of Admiral Marcus."

"I will send you my exact coordinates."

"You surrender?"

"I do."

Harrison moved to the cave mouth and stared up at the sky in the direction from which they would have to approach. He saw the lights of a shuttle descending through the cloudless night. Something was wrong, he looked closer. Two Klingon Warbirds had just uncloaked and were following the shuttle to the ground.

Quickly he hefted his Gatling gun, he was going to have to rescue his kidnappers.

-0-

"Captain, we have made contact with Harrison. He has agreed to surrender."

"Well done Sulu."

"Thank you Captain, Harrison is hiding in a cave, unfortunately the ground around his location is too rocky to land. The nearest likely spot to land is two kilometers to the west of the coordinates I sent you."

"That's okay we can walk," Kirk turned to his away team, "everyone ready?"

"Aye," they answered in unison.

Gillian felt all of her muscles tense. Harrison had out maneuvered all of earthbound Star Fleet and now he was surrendering to four members of an away team without a fight. She didn't trust it, or him. Why had Harrison asked about Marcus? Too much of this didn't make sense.

"Captain," Spock's voice clear and calm broke through her thoughts, "we are being followed."

Gillian turned to her screen, Spock was right; two foreign bodies were flanking them.

"Collins?"

"Warbirds sir, two of them."

"Uhura?"

"They aren't hailing us sir."

"They must not want to parley. Alright everyone set phasers to kill, it is essential that no Klingon escape to report our presence on Kronos. Understood?"

"Aye Captain."

"Mister Spock, set us down."

A thought occurred to Gillian.

"Mister Spock, open the hatch when we are four meters from the ground, I will jump out and provide cover."

"Your bones will shatter."

"No they won't, trust me. Standard crew of a Warbird is six. We are outnumbered three to one; we need any advantage we can get."

"Why won't your bones break Commander?"

"I can explain later, but just now we need to act, trust me Captain," she said turning from Spock to Kirk, "give the order."

"Spock, open the hatch."

The bleak frozen landscape of Kronos streaked by beneath her. Gillian adjusted her goggles.

"Four meters," said Spock.

Gillian had spent her entire life hiding her differences. She had always slowed herself in track, she had answered a few questions wrong on tests, and she had pretended to be hurt by the strikes of her peers in karate. Now her differences were the only things that stood between them and death. She took a deep breath and as soon as she heard Spock give the signal she jumped into the very thin air of Kronos.

The rocky ground rushed toward her. Gillian timed her fall, adjusted slightly to compensate for the thinness of the air, and hit the ground rolling to deflect the impact. She rolled six times, then pulled herself to her feet, and began running for cover. She was slightly staggered by the impact but no bones were broken. She had three seconds until the shuttle touched down. She turned the power on her phaser up to maximum. She sighted along the barrel and fired. She hit one of the descending Warbirds disabling its landing gear.

The Warbird checked its descent and swiveled in the sky to face Gillian. She was already moving. She pumped her legs as fast as she could force her body to move. Gillian dove behind an out cropping of rocks when the Warbird opened fire on her. She checked her phaser, adjusted the power down a couple of notches. It was still recharging from the shot that had crippled the Warbird.

Gillian looked around to see if there was anywhere she could move to increase her cover. There wasn't, at least not that she could get to in time. She was going to die; Gillian counted down the seconds until her phaser could fire again. Rocks began to fall down on her as the Warbird fired on her again. Gillian took a deep breath and stood aiming her phaser. If she was going to go out she would do so fighting. She might get one more shot off before they hit her.

A series of energy bursts tore through the Warbird causing it to spin off and crash to the ground. Gillian looked up to the high promontory from which the blasts came. She saw a looming shadow against the starry sky of Kronos. She judged the figure to be at least seven feet tall, slim with a Gatling gun clutched in its right hand. She watched as with a superlative grace the figure dropped the gun, and then jumped two meters to where Kirk, Spock and Uhura were trying to deal with the six Klingons who had managed to land.

Gillian pushed herself to her feet and ran at them. She adjusted the level of her phaser down to an anti-personnel level which did not drain the battery so fast. She aimed in the moonless darkness and fired, a Klingon who had been tussling with Kirk fell. She aimed again and another Klingon fell. Spock smashed his fist into the face of a Klingon that tried to hit Uhura. Suddenly that figure was in their midst and Klingons began rapidly to fall. Gillian was stunned by the speed and power of his movements. It was like nothing she had ever seen outside of those times when, alone in the gym, she had cut loose completely. There was nothing left for her to do by the time she came to a stop beside Kirk.

Though he spoke to Kirk his eyes, black as pitch, bore into Gillian with such a glare of malevolent hatred she had to wonder what she had done to inspire that glance. She needed no incentive to return it, as this was John Harrison, who had murdered her father and half of Star Fleet's high command, not to mention hundreds of innocent bystanders. Gillian met his gaze, this, she told herself was the face of evil.

"John Harrison," Kirk, still out of breath from the fight, "you are under arrest for murder, please drop all weapons and place your hands behind your back."

"How many torpedoes?" Harrison asked.

"Excuse me?" Kirk asked, taken aback by the apparent irrelevance of the question.

"On your ship. How many?"

His voice was low, smooth, and resonant. He spoke as someone who was used to having every word he said taken as an order and instantly obeyed. She could see his growing frustration with having to repeat himself.

"Why?"

"It is relevant to my terms of surrender."

Kirk tried to get in Harrison's face, a task made difficult and rendered ineffectual because Harrison was a head and a half taller than the Captain.

"I give no shit to your terms you psychotic bastard."

Kirk reached for Harrison's arm, but was soon air born as Harrison slammed a fist into the Captain's stomach. Kirk arched back and hit the ground gasping. Even before Kirk had regained the ground Harrison had two phasers, one in each hand, both trained on Gillian.

Instantly Gillian, Uhura, and Spock aimed their phasers at Harrison, who turned to Spock.

"Vulcan, how many torpedoes did Admiral Marcus put on your ship?"

Spock looked to Kirk who nodded.

"Seventy two."

There was a momentary break in Harrison's arrogant indifferent expression. Gillian could not identify the emotion he felt in that split second, but it had an intensity that radiated from his body and seemed to charge the air around them with frantic electricity.

Kirk scrambled to his feet. Harrison spun his phaser pistols around and handed them to Kirk butts first. Gillian moved to cuff him when Harrison wheeled on her.

"Not you," the venom that dripped from his voice was startling.

"Since when do prisoners get to decide who cuffs them?" Kirk asked.

"Anyone but her," he spat, then looking at Gillian, "don't ever touch me you fucking traitor."

Gillian glared, but handed the handcuffs over to Spock who put them on Harrison. He never broke eye contact with Gillian, the seething hatred he felt for her was palpable.

As soon as the prisoner was secured Kirk swaggered over to him.

"I am bringing you back to Star Fleet alive, but this is for Christopher Pike."

Kirk launched his fist into Harrison's face. The crunch of breaking bone was audible and Kirk bit back a scream of pain. Harrison did not seem to notice as he kept hate filled eyes on Gillian.

"Captain?"

"Yes Commander Collins?"

"May I?"

Kirk looked from his broken hand to her, he nodded.

"And this is for Herbert Collins."

"Collin-?"

Harrison's question was cut short as Gillian's Fist collided with his face. She had not held back at all. Harrison's nose exploded with the impact and he hit his knees. When Harrison looked up at her she was struck by how the crimson blood which poured from his nose set off his ivory skin and jet black hair. His inky eyes blazed at her with hatred and, disturbingly, amusement. She did not want to notice the wicked smile he shot her as he stood, nor acknowledge the shudder that it sent through the very core of her body.

"We will revisit this at a later time," he said before spitting blood at her feet.

"Enterprise to Kirk."

Kirk's communicator came to life.

"Yeah."

"We have short range transport reestablished I can beam you up."

"Uhura, Spock, take the shuttle back. Collins and I will see to the prisoner."

"Aye Captain."

"Beam us up Chekov."

2

Harrison had been docile as a well-treated kitten since his surrender. Walking calmly through the halls of the Enterprise and submitting without complaint to being shoved into a cell in the brig. He put up no resistance when they cleared his pockets and removed a watch from his arm and stored them in a safe in the brig. Gillian trusted a passive Harrison even less than an aggressive one. Very little emotion registered on that implacable aristocratic face, but Gillian would swear that he was pleased, almost giddy. An electric energy continued to radiate from his skin.

Gillian went fretfully through decontamination, then to her cabin to change into a fresh uniform. She had checked with Engineering via com link and poor Chekov still could not get the warp drive to respond. More systems had failed and been brought back online since they had departed for Kronos and the brilliant young man was at a loss to explain the cause. So for now they were stranded on the edge of enemy space, accelerating to even half of the speed of light would take upwards of three months ship time, and their great great grandchildren would have gone to dust long before they could hope to get a tenth of the way back home. It was with this rather gloomy report of the situation still ringing in her ears that Gillian walked through the door into the brig.

"Commander Collins please report to Medical, you took a hell of a spill Bones needs to clear you duty," Kirk said almost tersely after returning from his own visit to the Medical bay, his right hand was wrapped in a thick web of gauze and tape.

"Captain, I'm fine."

"That's an order Commander."

"Aye Captain."

Gillian had turned shooting a last loathing glance at Harrison before heading to an appointment with Dr. Bones.

She had been sitting in a dressing gown, whose design had not improved in many millenia, for nearly half an hour before McCoy came in to examine her. Upon entering the room he walked over to a table, fished a tube full of a red liquid out of his pocket and stuck it in a centrifuge.

"So sorry for the wait Commander."

"No problem Doc, but if you could hurry up and clear me for duty I would really appreciate it."

McCoy smiled, a little nervously. First the doctor had scanned her legs and feet. Aside from a few tiny hairline fractures, which he said appeared to be healing nicely she showed no signs of damage. Then he stood and fetched something from a nearby table. When he turned back to face Gillian he was holding a needle for drawing blood.

"What's that for?" She asked.

"Just need to run a few routine tests Commander."

"What blood tests do you need to run to clear me after a fall?"

"It's just precautionary," McCoy said absently. His eyes flicked to two guards that were standing in the corner.

Gillian leaned in so that only the Doctor could hear her words.

"I know what you are looking for."

"Commander Collins I am merely running a few routine tests."

"Doc, I know what you are looking for and you are going to find it. Run my genetic sequence through the database, you will find that I differ rather drastically from standard human normal. You will also find that this fact is registered with Star Fleet."

"I still have to take a sample."

Gillian impatiently thrust her arm at McCoy.

"Get it over with then."

Gillian watched as the tube filled with her blood. She did not know why but the Doctor's curiosity made her nervous. He set the test tube in the centrifuge along with the one he had placed earlier.

"I am free to go now Doc?"

"Uhm I suppose. If I have any follow up questions to ask where should I look for you?"

"I was planning on heading to the brig, I want to see Harrison questioned."

Gillian did not at all like the look of relief that spread over the good doctor's face. She stood and shrugged back into her uniform. As she left the Medical Bay the two guards fell into step a couple meters behind her. Briefly she considered ditching them, heading to the shuttle bay and making a break for it, but all of the shuttles were short range and she didn't fancy being marooned on a Klingon out world. So she did exactly what she told McCoy she would and went straight to the brig.

"Why?" Kirk asked.

"It was the last act of a desperate man," Harrison explained in response to Kirk's question about his motivation for his act of terrorism.

"I saw your face as you fired into a room of unarmed men and women. You didn't look desperate, you looked as you do now, calm, collected, unmoved, in short, evil."

"What makes you think that I am not desperate right now?"

Gillian interrupted.

"Commander Collins cleared for duty Captain."

Harrison looked at her as she spoke and again the black pools that were his eyes radiated hatred.

"I'm not done with you," Kirk said to Harrison before rounding on Gillian.

"Anything you want to tell me before Bones gets the results of his tests?"

"I can tell you what I told him."

"Which is?"

"That when he runs my genetic sequence that he will find many deviations from the normal human range, and that my differences are well known to Star Fleet."

"There was nothing in your personnel file."

"Medical records not pertaining to ones duties aboard ship remain confidential Captain."

"What is your background?"

"Not a question you get to ask Captain," Kirk glared at Gillian, "and not one that I can answer in any case. I don't know. My earliest memories are of sudden cold, screaming, then warmth, and my father's voice gently trying to calm me."

Gillian looked away from Kirk to Harrison who had jumped up from the bench in his cell.

"Collins was not your biological father was he?"

"No sir."

"Did he ever tell you who your birth parents were?"

"No sir?"

"Did you ever ask?"

"Every day sir."

There was a beep followed by McCoy's voice.

"Captain, results are in."

"Now we find out," Kirk said, "go on Bones."

"Genetic match within tolerance of population divergence."

"Bones what the hell does that mean?"

Gillian answered coldly before McCoy could.

"It means that Harrison and I differ in the same manner from the general populace, but that we also differ widely enough that was are not related. Does that cover the substance of it Bones?"

"Yes Commander."

"Thank you Bones," Kirk turned to Gillian, "I am sorry. I hope you understand."

Gillian swallowed the rage she felt, and bit back all of the responses she wanted to make.

"You weaken this ship by taking me away from my post."

"I understand that, but too much is going wrong on this mission for me to take any chances. When it turns out that this is merely the most unlikely coincidence in the universe you will have my full apology."

Kirk reached over and pressed a button which split the single cell inhabited by Harrison into two. Gillian stepped inside and Kirk brought the barrier back down.

Kirk turned back to Harrison.

"Do you understand why I let you live back there on Kronos?"

"Wrong question Captain," replied Harrison. There was a sharp edge to his voice, the words were snapped out with precision. It was impossible not to listen to that voice.

"What is the right question then?"

"Why did I surrender to you? You saw what I did to those Klingons. Why didn't I kill you and your crew?"

"Then assume I have asked those questions."

"I was told that you had seventy two torpedoes of experimental make aboard this ship. Is this true?"

"Yes."

"Thank their presence for the gift of your life."

"Why?"

"Have one brought here and I will show you."

"I am curious, not stupid."

"Your warp core is stalled, you are dead in the water on the edge of enemy space, ask yourself Captain, what damage can I do that is not already done, and would not guarantee me an equal share in the death that will be suffered by your crew if we can't get moving."

Kirk activated his communicator.

"Kirk to Engineering."

"Yes Captain?" Chekov answered.

"Get Wallace, I will be down there shortly, we are opening one of those new torpedoes."

"Aye Captain. We will be ready for you when you get down here."

"Let's find out what is so precious to you that you will spare little old me to get near."

Kirk turned to leave.

"Remember those coordinates Captain, use them well."

Kirk paused only a moment before gesturing for the guards to follow him, leaving Aria alone with Harrison.

"They left the audio on between the cells," Gillian said.

"And us alone."

"They want to see if we are colluding."

"Obviously."

"To what coordinates were you referring?"

"The coordinates are to an outpost in a remote area of Star Fleet space that may be of some interest to him."

Gillian was a little startled to find that some of the hatred and contempt had left Harrison's voice when he spoke to her. She looked at his face. His eyes still burned, but not with the desire to kill her. His recently shattered nose seemed to have reformed into a straight line and the blood that had pooled under his eyes had already dissipated.

"How is your nose?"

"How is your fist?"

"Fine."

"Same."

"Damn, I had hoped that I had caused some damage."

"We repair quite quickly."

"Don't say that."

"What?"

"We, there is no we. Genetic history aside, you killed my father in cold blood."

"He wasn't your father."

"He raised me, cared for me, he was my father."

"He used you."

"What?"

"You said that your father's name was Collins."

"Yes."

"Herbert Collins?"

"Yes."

"Herbert Collins colleague of Admiral Marcus?"

"Yes."

Harrison sat back; the hate had drained from his eyes, though there was still disdain to be found there.

"Herbert Collins was among the crew that first captured my ship. I was in stasis, along with my crew. I was under the impression that I alone was woken, clearly I was misinformed," Harrison who had been reclining against the wall now sat up and met her eyes, "I remember one woman fair like you, with red hair and emerald eyes."

Gillian felt like she had been punched. She was also not at all sure she like the way Harrison's eyes searched her features. She knew what he was seeing, but his expressionless appraisal brought a flush to her face that no flagrantly sexual advance had ever induced in her.

"There are some striking similarities; it is possible that she was your mother."

"This woman was part of _your_ crew?"

This was an idiotic question, and she knew it. Gillian had forgotten her rage and sadness for the first time since the attack. She had wanted to ask after this red haired emerald eyed woman's name, her origin, where was the crew going, who were they, and yet all that came out of her mouth was to ask about Harrison's role in the venture.

"_My_ crew," the note of possessive pride in his voice was visceral.

"I always assumed I was the product of an illicit continuation of the experiments that lead to the Eugenics War."

Was it possible that her mother had served in the Eugenics War under Harrison?

"The scan showed too many similarities. Your line had kept both the good and the bad; the art ought to have advanced in these past centuries if the experiments had continued."

"You will concede that we are not perfect then?"

"Not by a long shot, we are Augments mark one. It would take minds as great as ours to do better though."

As he said this Gillian marked how his eyes shot quickly to the spot in the wall that concealed the safe into which his belongings had been placed. Just as quickly they darted back to her. His black eyes bored into her green ones unblinkingly. She had no idea what sign he was searching for in her eyes, but evidently he did not find it as he broke eye contact and settled back into his seat.

"So I would be a second generation Augment."

"Most likely, there are very few of those."

"Why?"

"Many of the experiments on the first generation resulted in mules."

Gillian signaled that she didn't understand.

"Genetic eunuchs born sterile."

"What are you?"

"An unexpected success."

Again she showed her lack of understanding.

"They accidentally did better in me than they had intended. Some of the experiments went right some went wrong," he shuddered visibly, "some horribly so. They were mad geniuses working partially through trial and error. In me they hit a bull's eye they never could have anticipated."

Gillian shook her head, Harrison was a murderer, and he was also probably a liar. Still, there was sincerity in that voice.

Many minutes passed in silence. Gillian's brain tried to cope with the inflow of data, drawing conclusions, making reasoned assumptions. She did not like where her process was taking her and in her mind one growing question finally forced its way past her lips.

"Who are you?"

"That is a very good question," Kirk cut in as he strode into the brig flanked by Spock, "because you sure as hell aren't John Harrison."

Gillian looked listened intently.

"Spock tell our esteemed terrorist what you dug up."

"Though the records of John Harrison are complete, detailing thirty years of life, all of these records were entered three years ago."

"You look older than three to me," the cocky swagger was back in Kirk's tone, "so, as the lady asked who are you?"

"Do you read the classics Captain?"

"What?"

"The classical literature of the early nineteenth century?"

Kirk groaned in exasperation. Aria felt his pain, why could Harrison never give a straight answer to anything? Yet she had to admit that he had a voice that was made to monologue.

"Are you familiar with the story of Frankenstein?"

"Yeah it is a cautionary tale about the dangers of man playing god using science."

Harrison stood.

"No, why do they never teach it correctly? It is a cautionary tale, but to god not man."

"I don't follow."

"Victor Frankenstein is a brilliant doctor who is convinced that he can create a new form of life. He uses the bodies of the dead to construct a man that he then uses some great secret he alone has discovered to animate. The experiment works and the mass of previously dead flesh and organs comes to life."

"Alright."

"But when Victor looks on his creation he decides that it is a hideous monster that has no place in the world so Victor turns his monster out. His creation is possessed of many qualities, great strength, impressive speed, a keen intellect and a curious metabolism that allows him to subsist on very little nourishment. All of these qualities represent a marked improvement over the stock from which his various parts were derived. Over time the monster becomes cultured, learns languages, and returns to his father seeking love and acceptance. It is only when the poor lonely creature is denied this by his creator that he becomes the monster Victor had decided he was all along. Thus the monster tells Frankenstein that he could have been Victor's Adam but instead he is doomed to play the part of the fallen angel."

"How is this relevant?"

"I could have been mankind's Adam. I am one of of a small population of genetically augmented humans set so far above our creators that we were declared monsters."

"Who are you?"

"I thought the last of a murdered people, what did you find in the torpedo?"

"I found a man, who are you?"

"My name is Khan Noonien Singh, and there are men and women in every one of those torpedoes."

"The Khan who started the Eugenics War?"

"It is amazing how much history is written by the victors. I made one mistake, I underestimated my opponents once and it cost me three hundred years and damn near my entire race."

"What have we gotten into?"

Aria watched as Harrison smiled, it was a cruel expression.

"Captain Kirk the Eugenics War was the Federation's first attempt to eliminate my people. We tried initially to flee, but found every avenue of escape barred, so denied the ability to flee we fought."

"And damn near brought the Federation to an end."

"Yes."

"How?" Kirk asked.

"I Presume Captain that you rate genius."

"Yes."

"Spock?"

"Genius plus."

Harrison turned a mocking glance on Gillian.

"Commander Collins?"

"Genius triple plus," Gillian answered.

"I am similarly rated with the Commander over there, as are nearly all of my people. It is not your fault that you are both idiot children next to the Commander and I, it's built in. The weakest member of my crew could best your strongest in any contest you cared to set. We are simply put, better. We are the very best of humanity, and we were condemned for it."

"Condemned by whom?"

"That century's incarnation of the Federation. There were never more than three hundred forty of us and of that number sixty were genetic eunuchs incapable of reproduction."

"So useless to the cause of world domination."

"Captain you have not been listening. We didn't want to take over the Federation, we tried first to escape. Also you should be less flippant about those men and women who gave their lives for a posterity in which they could never share, that is a sacrifice that demands respect."

"Apologies Khan, you are correct."

"The Eugenics War was nothing more than a reason to put us down."

"Why?"

"It all goes back to a less well known piece of classical literature. 'In loyalty to their kind they cannot tolerate our rise, in loyalty to our kind we cannot tolerate their obstruction' we were deemed too dangerous to the general population to be allowed to live. To be fair to the Federation we are, though not in the way they fear. You spoke of a plan for world domination."

"I did."

"Captain, when mankind was taking over the world did he bother to conquer the worm nations?"

"What?"

"Did man give equal consideration to planning battles against wolves as he did other men?"

"Obviously not."

"Why should we then concern ourselves with the nations of men?"

"You concerned yourself with the nations of men three hundred years ago."

"Only because me and my people were being subjected to systematic destruction. I attacked Star Fleet because I believed that Marcus had already detonated those torpedoes. They are the last surviving remnant of the original three hundred, when I thought that they were dead I decided to start the war that Marcus feared years before the Federation would be able to cope with it."

"What does Marcus have to do with this?"

"Marcus found us, I believed that I was the only one revived," he looked at Gillian, "I was wrong. He woke me in order to exploit my genius in the service of his dream of a fully militarized Star Fleet."

"Why wake you for that?"

"Because I nearly toppled the Federation with an army of three hundred, can you imagine the technology I developed, the strategies, the sheer ruthless savagery that made such a feet possible?"

"No."

"Neither could he, which is why I am awake. Marcus held the continued safety of my crew as the leverage to leash me. When I was found trying to smuggle them out inside those torpedoes Marcus decided that I had grown too dangerous. I was forced to flee leaving them behind. Kirk my crew is my family, is there anything you would not do to the people you believed murdered your family?"

"You murdered my family; Christopher Pike was all the family I had left."

"Not true, Captain," Harrison stressed the title, "you have every man and woman aboard this ship, and if you don't get your warp core working Marcus will be here shortly to slaughter them all."

"Why would a Star Fleet Admiral attack a Star Fleet ship?"

"To start the Klingon war."

"You said that the Federation was not ready to cope with a full out war with the Klingons."

"Marcus believes that they are."

"Why?"

"I told him so."

"What needs to happen to get warp back on line?"

"Take me to the weapons bay."

"Not a chance."

"Then you and your crew, and my whole race will die here."

"There is something about those torpedoes that is shutting down this ships systems?"

"Yes."

"I could always just shoot them into space,"

"First you are not a man would can knowingly commit genocide. Second I would break out of this cell if you gave the order and murder you and your entire crew."

Kirk mulled this over; Gillian was fascinated by Harrison's story. She had covered the history og the Eugenics War in class and studied it on her own for obvious reasons, but everything she had ever read indicated that the Augments were the aggressors from the very start. Could Harrison's story be true? Instantly she had to concede that it could be, and that it would not be the first time history had been rewritten and sanitized to make the role the victors played in a conflict less morally dubious.

"Commander Collins are you able to break out of that cell?"

Gillian was pulled out of her thoughts. She scanned the cell and considered the problem.

"Yes Captain."

Kirk looked at Harrison, his face expressionless but his eyes alive. He was fighting some kind of terrible internal struggle. After several long moments her reached a decision and again spoke to Gillian.

"Commander Collins are you able to guarantee his good conduct?"

"She is," Khan answered, his voice betraying eagerness.

"I cannot, but I can guarantee that I will do everything in my power to make him behave."

"Good enough for me. Spock, release them both."

The doors to the cells slid open. Aria was handed a pair of cuffs to put on Harrison. She moved to do so, and this time he did not move away.

"Bridge to Kirk."

"Kirk here."

"We are not alone."

"Klingons?"

"It doesn't appear so sir."

"Beam the image to me in the Brig."

"Aye Sir."

Moments later a wall screen came to life. The field of stars was obscured by a nightmare image of what a ship could be. It was twice the size of the Enterprise Sleek and oddly proportioned for a long distance space farer it bore Star Fleet insignia and the name Vengeance.

"What is that?"

"Dreadnaught," answered Khan, "my design, it can be run by a skeleton crew. Its firepower out classes the Enterprise by several orders of magnitude and nothing this ship has in its arsenal could dent it. I am pleased that you made use of those coordinates I gave you."

"How did you know?"

"They haven't fired on us yet, which means that they can't fire on us. Captain I must get to the weapons bay. We can't outrun her, but we can buy some more time."

"Carol," Gillian shouted, everyone turned to her, "Engineer Wallace is actually Engineer Marcus. She is the Admiral's daughter and if Admiral Marcus is aboard that ship or in communication with that ship I doubt he will want to blow up his daughter along with the rest of us."

"Alright crew, I will stall with the Vengeance, Commander, get to the weapons bay send Engineer Marcus to the bridge then you and Khan try to get warp back online. Spock you're with me."

"Aye Captain."

Gillian turned to direct her charge to the Weapons Bay but he had slipped silently over to the wall safe as she had talked with the Captain. She watched as he entered the code. He must have memorized the arm movement of the person who opened the safe when his belongings were placed inside. Despite the handcuffs his movements were still nimble. Carefully, almost daintily he removed the watch from the safe and inspected it, apparently satisfied he slapped it against his wrist so that the band wrapped around his wrist fixing the watch in place. Gillian called to him.

"Follow me."

"Aye Commander."

Gillian did not stop to decipher his tone. They made their way along the winding passageways through drop tubes and hangars until they reached the Weapons bay. It became rapidly apparent that Harrison did not need her guidance. He knew the layout of this ship fully as well as she did.

"What in the name of a billion flaming hells is he doing down here?" Carol asked.

"Captain's orders, you are to report to the Bridge immediately if not sooner."

"Gillian?"

"No time, get your ass up to the bridge or see us blown out of the sky."

"Aye Commander," Carol threw a salute to her childhood friend then took off for the bridge.

Gillian heard a grunt, and then a clang. When she turned around Harrison was free of his restraints and bending over a torpedo. He opened a panel in the side exposing a circuit board and small display screen. Instantly he set to work fiddling first with his watch soon the screen came to life.

"If you show me what you are doing we can get this done twice as fast."

"Unfortunately I have only one of these," he indicated the watch.

"What are you doing?"

"Each one of these is equipped with a beacon which will disrupt the quantum state of nearby machinery unless properly tended and directed. I am doing that now."

"You designed them to cripple any ship into which they were placed that you weren't aboard."

"It's easier to track down a ship that can't move."

"You also checked the readout on the vital statistics of those inside?"

"Of course."

Gillian felt an odd sense of relief knowing that the people who slept in stasis all around her were still alive. Loneliness and isolation had been her lot for such a long time that the thought of a group of people with whom she might belong was a sensation so foreign as to be almost painful. She did not know anymore what she felt, anger at Harrison, grief for her father, frustration over constantly feeling stifled, or wonder at the revelations of the past. She felt all of them at once, and the collective weight of emotion constricted her chest and threatened to bring her to tears.

"You were telling the Captain the truth weren't you Harrison?"

"Every word."

He worked quickly, clearing ten torpedoes in three minutes.

"I know why I hate you, what did I do to inspire the same feeling in you?"

She didn't know why she cared that he had hated her, except that he was the only one like her she had ever known. Maybe it was the ferocity with which he fought to defend his crew, some part of her wanted to share in that kind of unambiguous loyalty.

"I thought you were working for Marcus, you would have heard their heartbeats, yet you remained on a ship that was prepared to launch them. I assumed that you were more aware of your history than you were, that you had chosen to side with the enemy."

"Star Fleet is not my enemy."

"Correction, they _were_ not your enemy. When you knew nothing of the Augments you were safe. Now they will fear that you have been infected by my ideas. They will never trust you again. Have you not asked yourself why they would take an augmented child and raise her from birth?"

"Of course."

"Then you also know the answer."

"Yes, all of the benefits of having an Augment, but safe. As long as I was isolated, made to believe I was the only one my loyalty to Star Fleet need never be challenged."

All of those nights spent with her father telling her about Star Fleet, he had been grooming her early to a fascination bordering on reverence for Star Fleet and the Federation. As pieces to the puzzle fell into place, Gillian could not bring herself to resent any of it. Her father had done no more than any Ivy League legacy pushing their child into going to the same school they had. She had always felt loved. Nothing that Harrison said could take that from her, but she reminded herself that Harrison had taken her father from her.

It amazed her how attractive his ideas were, and how susceptible to them she was. She watched the steady focused motions of Harrison as he worked. They were quick, efficient, yet unhurried all at once. There was a power and confidence in his movements that was a little hypnotic. Soon the rest of the torpedoes were cleared. It saddened her that they had met under these circumstances. In any other they might have shared a loyalty, yet as it was his crime and her hate divided them.

"Is it done?" Gillian asked.

"Yes the disruption should be corrected."

Gillian drew her phaser on Harrison and set it to kill.

"Commander?"

"I am not stupid Harrison. You have been planning to take over the Enterprise since Kronos."

"True, but you know that won't kill me."

"But it will hurt like hell, and it will stun you for a few minutes, and we both know a few moments are all that I need."

"You have me at a disadvantage Commander."

"John Harrison you are still under arrest for murder, and are a wanted war criminal, what makes you think that I would allow you to take over this ship?"

"Two reasons," Harrison said, "the first of which is that you are now an enemy of Star Fleet whether you will it or no and I am your best hope of escape from what they could do to you. Am I right in assuming that you have pieced it together?"

"Yes, the Federation took your ship many years before you were told, they waked my mother, and kept her animate until I was born."

"Then what happened to her?"

"Put her back in stasis?" Gillian asked hopefully, she had been resisting the urge to ask Harrison which of these frozen but living bodies was her mother.

"Gillian, she isn't here, I checked."

Gillian ignored his use of her name.

"Then she died in childbirth."

"Of what? An atomic explosion of afterbirth, we do not die in childbirth, our cells regenerate."

"I won't believe it of my father, he was there that day. I remember it."

Gillian felt something hot and wet roll down either side of her cheeks. The world swam in front of her eyes, crisp outlines blurring into vague shapes. Harrison moved so fast that she had no time to react, the phaser in her hand was crushed and Harrison had her pinned full length against the wall of the Weapons Bay.

"The second reason is that you can't stop me because I have not spent a lifetime governing every move that I made. It has crippled your reactions, trying to be like them. Trying to be less than you are, trying to be their equal when you are their superior."

"Harrison, I can't breathe."

He eased the pressure against her chest.

"You know who I am why do you still call me Harrison?"

"Because as Khan I could forget to hate you. John Harrison killed a man that, whatever his motivations, was never anything but kind and caring to me."

"Is it necessary to hate me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Will you make me say what you clearly already know?"

Khan looked at Gillian. Her emerald eyes flashed in a way that promised death.

"Not today."

Khan smiled and released her.

"Now let's save the Enterprise shall we?"

"You know you can't pilot her alone."

"I had no intention of trying."

"They can't be brought out of stasis before the Federation catches up with you."

"I know."

Gillian cocked her head as the pieces of the puzzle slipped into place. Three years, that was how long Spock had said that Khan had lived as John Harrison. She could see in the intensity of those utterly black eyes the nights he had spent pouring over star charts, searching the sky. When had he found it? She could not help but picture his face registering some unguarded expression of triumph. In her mind it made his face appear younger, the harsh lines smoothed into an almost boyish grin. Finally she understood.

"I am a step behind."

"Yes plans change as new opportunities arise."

"Commander Collins please report to the Bridge."

It was Sulu.

"Aye sir, be right there. How are things going?"

"Not good Commander, Admiral Marcus has stated his intention to attack the Enterprise as soon as his weapons are back on line."

"What if we offer him Khan?"

"That offer has already been rejected."

"Bridge to Engineering!"

"Yes Captain?"

"Marcus has beamed Carol onto the Vengeance and Scotty can't keep their weapons tied down for more than another ten minutes. I could really use some tactical advice right now."

A thousand possibilities rushed through her mind. She ran a quick analysis of the likelihood of success using various tactical approaches to the situation. The results were disheartening. Still in one approach there was a glimmer of possibility.

"Mister Sulu, please have the Captain meet me and Mister Harrison in number twelve airlock, we are going to need two P suits."

Khan looked at Gillian.

"Have you ever done anything like this before?"

"Hell no."

"Me neither, after nearly four hundred years of life it is exciting to try something new."

3

"Any transfer event will trigger their alarms which will give them time to cancel the transfer and leave Harrison and I stranded in space without inertia."

"Opening an airlock will alert them as well."

"But not in time to prevent our boarding."

Gillian explained while slipping on the pressure suit. She was aware of Khan next to her calibrating his face-plate and running through the standard check procedures made before any spacewalk. The suit was too small for his height, but he made do with being terribly cramped.

"Is this enough Commander?"

Gillian looked to see six men weighed down with odds, ends, and bits of debris.

"Not nearly, and we are going to need some bigger pieces."

"Aye Commander."

"Double time it."

"Because jumping from the airlock of one ship to the airlock of another ship isn't dangerous enough, you are going to add a debris field to fly through."

"Ah Captain all I need is a tall ship and a star to sail 'er by."

"Huh?"

"The debris field will provide cover; hopefully it will look like you are jettisoning mass in preparation for running."

"It would have that effect as well."

"Captain," Khan cut in, "the Vengeance can fire on you in warp."

"Not possible, in warp the ship moves too fast for the torpedo to accelerate beyond, blasts hit the ship of origin, everyone knows that."

Khan cocked an eyebrow.

"Captain, that ship can fire upon you in warp, if you run you die."

"I still think that I should be coming with you," said Kirk quietly hoping only Gillian would hear.

"I understand, but I need you in the chair, charming Marcus. Every second you buy us is precious."

They were distracted as the men returned carrying more suitable bits of debris. Gillian adjusted her suit, ran the necessary checks and fastened herself securely to the airlock wall.

"Good luck Commander, keep your eye on him."

"Both of them."

Kirk and the others backed out of the now very crowded airlock and shut the door. Gillian heard as the seal fell into place. All was silent except for the mingled sounds of her breathing and Khan's as relayed by their com units. She counted her heartbeats waiting for the Captain to push the button.

One, two, three- whoosh.

The pressure dropped and her feet left the floor as the debris they had stored in the airlock was sucked into the void outside. Her strap held even while she felt enormous pressure pulling on her, she could feel her whole body waiving in the current.

"Now," Khan's voice called and she cut the line holding her.

She maneuvered her body so that she was now falling face first toward the enemy ship. Her suit was fitted with eight small jets which she could control independently to direct her fall. She hit three jests on her right side to swerve around an empty air canister. As soon as she was past she hit three jets on the left to course correct. She thought of trying to get a check on Khan, but was soon to busy dodging and correcting to spare him any attention.

"Collins to Enterprise, can you patch me through to Engineer Scott?"

There was a slight delay.

"Aye Commander?" The Scotsman answered, "What can I do for ya today?"

"Get that airlock open."

"Gillian above you!"

She had just enough time to glance up before a hunk of debris half the size of a shuttle collided with her. Suddenly she was spinning through space, unable to halt her trajectory or to get her bearings.

"Enterprise?" She called.

No answer.

"Harrison?"

Still no response

Gillian swore before beginning to tap her jets in a sequence to bring her out of her spin. They didn't fire and she continued to spin. Panicking she checked her suit, nearly everything was offline. She closed her eyes just as she slammed back first into another piece of debris. She hit hard enough to momentarily knock the wind out of her, but it stopped her spin. Her mask was offline so her compass was down, but she could see Khan fifty meters ahead still gliding down toward the airlock. Amazingly her spin out had only taken a few seconds. If she could speed up, she could coast behind Khan.

_What can I use to build momentum?_

She breathed deeply trying to calm herself. It hit her. Gillian reached for a utility knife that was attached to the suit. Carefully she tried to angle herself so that her feet pointed at the narrow airlock door, then in one swift motion she cut the line connecting her air supply to the suit. Instantly she was jetting down toward the still closed door.

She became aware of how cold her suit was becoming, as the air leaked out and the pressure drained. Human bodies can survive two minutes in a vacuum before the gasses in their blood begin to boil. She wondered vaguely how long she could last, but the door was fast approaching.

_Come on Scotty open the damn hatch._

Fifty meters to go, her mind was getting foggy with the cold and the pain that was building in her. She knew the dangers of sudden decompression; she hoped that the air was leaking out slowly enough.

Thirty meters, she could see Khan use his jets to slow his descent. Gillian had no such luxury, she was going to hit and hit hard. There was no way to brace for the imminent impact.

Ten meters to go, the door was still closed. She saw that Khan had maneuvered so that he was between her and the door.

At five meters she collided with Khan. They both lurched forward, toppling end over end, both out of control, neither having the time to fix their course. Gillian felt one more cataclysmic crash and the world went black.

When she came to she was lying on a hard metal surface. She looked around; she was in a small room lined with metal lockers. She groaned and tried to sit up. Everything hurt.

"The sleeper wakes," Harrison's arrogant drawl brought her back to her surroundings.

"We made it?"

"Just barely, crashing into me checked your momentum enough that you didn't break every bone in your body on impact."

"Feels like I broke a few. How long was I out?"

"Not long, two minutes. Officer Scott and I dragged you into this room."

Gillian got to her feet; the pain that pulsed through her body was already receding. She walked up to Khan who was fiddling with the watch he had used to redirect the torpedo beacons. The door slid open and Gillian drew her phaser.

"Oy di'na shoot!"

Gillian recognized the thick Scottish accent of Engineer Officer Scott.

"Sorry," she said still a little unsteady, "how long until Marcus fires on the Enterprise?"

"About fifty seconds," Khan answered.

Panic flooded Gillian.

"We have to get to the bridge now."

Scotty nodded his agreement; Khan continued whatever he was doing with his watch.

"Harrison, thirty seconds and your people will be vaporized with the Enterprise."

"Our," Khan replied not looking up.

"Twenty seconds, what?"

"Our people."

"Fifteen seconds, matter of opinion."

"Eight seconds, matter of genetic and sociological fact."

"That will become moot in three seconds," the pitch of Gillian's voice rose with her panic.

Khan's betrayed his own fear, not in his voice but in an electric intensity that seemed to grow and fill the room. Gillian watched as his eyes darted around the watch face, his fingers tracing some cryptic pattern. A drop of sweat beaded at his left temple, as it began to roll down his face time ran out. A shudder ran through the ship as the Vengeance powered down.

Gillian heard Khan let out a gasp of air.

"There's a good girl, Rena."

To Gillian's complete astonishment a sweetly feminine voice answered him.

"Welcome back Captain."

When the lights came back on Khan was rushing for the door, phaser in his left hand. Gillian took off after him, with Scotty following on her heels.

"Freeze all guns, scan Enterprise weapons bay for damage."

"Checking boss."

Gillian wanted to ask what the hell was happening, but it was all she could do to keep up with him as Khan raced full tilt through the corridors. There was never a moment's pause; he knew exactly where he was going. Scotty was left far behind as she and Khan waited for the report. Some things were falling into place for Gillian. Since the image of the Dreadnaught Vengeance had appeared on the screen in the brig she had wondered how Khan had designed it to be piloted by such a limited crew.

_It would take a mind as great as ours to do better._ He had said. As they raced through the Vengeance Gillian began to wonder if Khan had been playing Frankenstein himself? The implications of a consciousness developed in a digital world with the processing power and speed of a computer were at once overwhelming and wonderfully exhilerating..

"Enterprise Weapons Bay intact boss."

"Thank you Rena, make sure that the bridge door will open for me."

"Will do boss."

Apparently Khan had been better to his monster than had Frankenstein or the Federation to theirs. Gillian heard voices in the distance over the pounding of her own heartbeat which echoed through her ears. Two voices she recognized instantly, the first was Carol, and the second was Admiral Marcus. She set her phaser to stun.

"Father please!"

"Quiet Carol. Ensign what do you mean that all controls are non-responsive?"

"Just that sir. Currently the only systems still running are shields, life support, and grav generation. I can't even adjust the temperature right now."

"What could cause that?"

"Nothing that I am familiar with sir."

The door slid open and Khan was first in the room. He had felled the Navigator, the Pilot, and the First Mate before Gillian joined him. Two guards held Carol, Gillian took aim and soon they were down. Khan turned and hit each one with a second phaser blast. Quickly she glanced at the phaser in Khan's hand as he advanced on the only member of the crew of the Vengeance to still upright, its former Captain, it was set to kill.

"Harrison," she called aiming her phaser at Harrison.

Too late, Gillian felt the blast from his phaser pass through her before she hit the deck.

Gillian was never fully unconscious; however though she was aware she was unable to move. Through a haze she watched as Carol ran at Harrison. He swatted the girl away as though she were of no more concern than a fly. Carol flew through the air, and landed hard near Gillian who could see that Khan had taken care to do as little damage to her as possible. Khan lifted the Admiral out of the Captain's chair with one hand by the throat. Gillian watched as the man clawed at Khan's hand. His feet kicked uselessly in air. Khan tightened his grip, Gillian heard a sickening crunch, and soon the struggling man stopped struggling. Khan released the former Admiral whose body flopped uselessly to the deck. Gillian watched as Harrison's feet turned and walked over to her.

"Awa wi' ya," Scotty commanded. Gillian hadn't even heard him arrive.

"Officer Scott, just now you provoke unwisely. Put away your weapon. We are still allies."

Gillian did not hear Scott's reply, but as Khan paid him no more attention she assumed that he had stood down. Carol had pulled herself up only to run to her father's body and collapse again sobbing. Another father taken from his daughter by Harrison Gillian thought, all of her anger rushing back into her.

Harrison knelt by Gillian's still immobile body. She felt his fingers trace the line of her jaw before sliding gently down the side of her throat. There was a slight pressure as he checked her pulse. When he rose she saw her phaser in his right hand. Harrison advanced purposefully on Carol and her father, but turned aside and sank slowly into the Captain's chair. He pulled the watch face from the band around his wrist and fitted it into a slot on the arm of the chair.

"Rena ready all guns."

"Yes boss."

"Starship Irena Sedler calling the Enterprise."

Kirk's livid face appeared on the main screen.

"Irena Sedler? Not the Vengeance?"

"That depends entirely on you Kirk."

"On what."

"Your willingness to listen."

"I am all ears Khan."

"I found a planet, rough but habitable. If you allow me to beam my crew aboard the Sedler, intact I will return the members of your crew to you and leave Federation space."

"What is my other option?"

"We again become the Vengeance. I kill Officer Scott and Engineer Wallace neigh Marcus in front of your eyes, then I target your life support system with my guns. Each of those torpedoes has their own life support system. I simply wait a bit, board your ship, step over the frozen lifeless bodies of your crew and take them anyway."

Gillian managed to blink; she let out a pained groan. Nothing had ever hit her like the phaser; it was like her nervous system was misfiring everywhere. She tried to move her hand and couldn't tell if she had succeeded. As Gillian continued to struggle Khan continued his conversation with Kirk.

"What guarantee do I have that your word is good?"

"In truth you don't, but Kirk Captain to Captain, I don't need you dead. Don't look for us, we won't come for you."

"Spock," Kirk called without breaking eye contact with Khan.

"Yes Captain?"

"Do we still have beam capabilities?"

"Yes Captain."

"Alright Khan, Scotty and Carol for all seventy two torpedoes, with their inhabitants intact, and an oath from you that you and your people vanish from the memory of man."

"Gladly given."

"What about me?" Gillian gasped almost pulling herself up from the deck.

"Commander Collins stays aboard the Sedler. I need her help to pilot this ship, and she will never be accepted in Star Fleet again."

"Do I get a say in this."

Khan turned to her.

"Yes you get to decide whether you spend the entire voyage in the brig or help me to care for the remainder of our people."

Gillian got awkwardly to her feet. A war was raging with in her. She hated Harrison for the death of her father, but she knew that Khan was right, she could never return to Star Fleet. She tried to imagine a life without the Federation. Then she imagined a life pioneering a new civilization on a new world among others who would understand her. With whom she would never have to hold back, never be less than, but always be free to strive to her utmost abilities.

With difficulty Gillian pulled herself to her feet. Reluctantly, but with an unexpected exhilaration she managed to snap to attention and salute her new Captain.

The transfer was made without incident Gillian exchanged affectionate farewells with Carol and Nyota. She took the time to express her admiration and gratitude to Captain Kirk. Her perpetual isolation made it so that there were few back on Earth that she would miss. After securing their precious cargo Khan formally introduced Gillian to Rena. Her suppositions had been dead on. Rena was a fully independent self-aware consciousness built of information and stored in a few cubic centimeters of hardware. Gillian barely had time to marvel at this revelation when Khan instructed Rena to take them into warp.

-0-

"Captain are you entirely certain that it was wise to let Khan go?" Spock asked.

"Not at all, but I have read Frankenstein, the creature asked his creator for a companion with the promise that they would flee and never be heard from again. At first the doctor promised that he would make the creature such a companion so that it need not always be alone, but fearful of what another such as he had made might do he breaks his promise and condemns the creature to a life of solitude and misery."

"Then the creature destroys everything that his creator ever loved."

"Exactly, I am gambling on the hope that the good doctor was wrong, that the monster would have sought a life of virtue and domestic tranquility if given the opportunity."

"That's a big gamble."

Kirk smiled. Thinking of what the crew of the Enterprise meant to him.

"Not so big a gamble Spock," Kirk sank into the Captain's chair and turned his attention to his pilot, "Mister Sulu, take us home."


End file.
